Woodbine: Silent Love seeks easier spot in Friday allowance feature

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Silent Love exits stakes company to contest Friday’s Woodbine headliner, and the daughter of top Ontario sire Silent Name should be favored in the Ontario-sired allowance scheduled for seven furlongs on the grass.

Silent Love graduated second time out June 7, when she changed surfaces to the turf and got home on top by 3 1/2 lengths, in a one-mile maiden special. After coming up empty in a subsequent allowance on the Polytrack, she wound up sixth in the seven-furlong Passing Mood Stakes on the grass.

Silent Love got back on track July 26, when she led throughout an Ontario-sired allowance on the grass. The 1 1/8-mile distance of that event was seemingly farther than her optimum, because she barely held on after being sent off as the favorite.

Most recently over yielding ground in the restricted La Prevoyante, Silent Love set sail on a clear lead before fading to finish fourth in the one-mile stakes, which has yielded three next-out winners.

Eurico Rosa Da Silva will ride Silent Love for Bob Tiller. They are the leading jockey-trainer combo at the meet, with 20 wins from 70 starts.

Blondie the Best may be poised for a peak performance in her third race following an extended layoff. She closed belatedly in her Aug. 21 comeback in an allowance sprint and had traffic problems along the inside when third in a subsequent $40,000 conditioned-claiming route.

Jesse Campbell inherits the mount on Blondie the Best from Luis Contreras, who’s sticking with Crysta’s Court.

Crysta’s Court figures to lead the way, with Philzana in close proximity.

Crysta’s Court rode a speed bias to victory in a seven-furlong allowance on the Polytrack on Aug. 28. She was previously in good grass form.

Philzana set rapid, wind-aided fractions in her five-length allowance score traveling six furlongs on the Polytrack on Sept. 2. She is by the pretty good turf sire Philanthropist, but there is little turf breeding in her immediate female family.

Teresa’s Pride, State Street, Ciboulette, and Princess Pick are all exiting a key Ontario-sired Polytrack allowance. Victorious Silent Treat returned to take an open first-level allowance, and the second- and eighth-place finishers subsequently ran second and third in the Classy ’n Smart Stakes.

The Tiller-trained Princess Pick is coupled in the Goldmart Farms entry with the Sid Attard-conditioned Comtesse Crimson. Both 4-year-olds have struggled this year.

Main-track-only entrant Generous Consort won two seven-furlong sprints in September, including an easier Ontario-sired allowance.